Focused on performance

EDWALL – Whether its deciding which pastures to graze, what animals to cull or when to calve out, Stokrose Farm cow manager Aaron Golladay said the focus is the same: improving performance.

“When raising Angus, we are looking to bring back function and balance,” Golladay said. “The popularity of Angus as a whole has really grown, but some breeders have focused on what grows the fastest and have forgotten about the soundness of things like feet and legs.”

Golladay is the cow manager for Stokrose Farm, a multi-generational operation with sites at Edwall and Warden that pairs crop farming with the Angus herd production. The farm has two calving seasons; calving around half of the herd in the spring and the registered Angus herd in the fall. Golladay said he hopes the performance and shape of the Stokrose Farm herd attracts buyers.

“We like to see a long neck and a long body,” he noted. “I like to call it a barrel with legs.”

The herd grazes on a variety of pastures in Eastern Washington, from irrigated pastures to seasonal grasses. Supplemental feed is given in the winter in the form of hay and a mixed feed ration. Golladay said the whole management system is designed to work together.

“When we are expecting performance, we have to remember that genetics play a role, the environment plays a role, the feed plays a role,” he said. “We use the carcass data from our animals to help us bring all those elements together for a sound breeding program.”

In order to synthesize herd management techniques, Stokrose Farm retains ownership of their animals to the rail at the butcher house, giving them access to carcass data. By knowing the grade of the beef, the marbling, the ribeye and the backfat score, Golladay can make adjustments to the breeding program to increase desirable traits.

However, Stokrose not only brings together the elements of a successful breeding program, but also works as a family team to make the farm successful.

Farming and cows

Golladay is the herd manager for the farm that also raises hay and corn. The farming is done by brothers Boe and Shawn Clausen. The Clausens are the second generation on the farm that was started by Finn and Anna Marie Claussen in the 1960s. The Clausens came to California on a work visa in the 1960s until coming to work on a farm near Warden where Finn became a manager. Finn successfully developed a market for vegetable seeds, allowing the couple to buy their first 140 acres. From there, the Clausens expanded the farm acreage and began raising hay, corn and running a feedlot on the farm.

Over the last decade, the herd has grown from 22 cows purchased from Rathbun Angus, to a closed herd of over 700 Angus mother cows. In 2019 Stokrose added “The Ranch” near Edwall to accommodate their cattle business expansion. Stokrose bred and weaned bulls were marketed at Rathbun Angus sales until 2019. In 2020, Stokrose bulls will be available at our first annual Stokrose Angus sale November 5th at the Rathbun Angus sale barn in Moses Lake.